


The Writing's On the Wall

by overworkedunderwhelmed



Series: Drabbles Gone Rogue [7]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Banter, Communication, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Miscommunication, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Partner Dynamics, puns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-08 13:29:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12255327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/overworkedunderwhelmed/pseuds/overworkedunderwhelmed
Summary: When Chat Noir's obligations outside of the suit start to interfere with his ability to get to the scene in time, Ladybug and Chat Noir are forced to carefully puzzle out a plan.  But even the best laid plans (of Cats and Bugs) are prone to go awry.





	1. Communication

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted as chapters 12, 18, and the pending chapter 45 of The Night Patrol as part of the LadyNoirJuly2017 Challenge, the Day 12: Communication prompt, the Day 18: Midnight Hour prompt, and the Day 30: Courage prompt (which I have yet to post and am currently writing!). All are now collected here for reading convenience per reader request. Original chapter breaks have also been retained by request.

High above the streets of Paris, Chat Noir gasped for breath. His hands gripped his knees. 

After he had sprinted the whole way across town after wrapping up an evening photoshoot, he had arrived just in time to shield Ladybug from a nasty hit, knocking what little breath he had managed to hold onto in the process.

It was hard enough getting away from school for photo shoots. If the class wasn’t mostly reduced to screaming or sheltering in place away from the windows.

But getting away from a photoshoot? That was way harder.

There had to be a better way of getting there faster. 

“You alright?” Her hand rested on his shoulder, her lovely blue eyes marred by concern. 

Chat Noir blinked up into her gaze, wondering how he might not be alright with her looking at him as she did. 

She frowned as her earrings chimed. “No rest for the wicked, Chaton.”

“But which one of us is wicked, bugaboo?” His mouth twisted into a smirk, his voice hoarse and strained. “Not sure I even remember what rest was like.”

“Is it really that bad?”

“Right now? It’s a little rough.” He huffed, laying back onto the rooftop. “I barely got here in time.”

Her arms crossed, in thought. “You didn’t hear the explosion?”

“I was stuck inside for hours.” He sighed. “If not for the sound of the explosion, I’d probably still be stuck there. I couldn’t even get to my phone to check the news for updates.”

Ladybug’s eyes narrowed. “It isn’t like this is the first time.”

He nodded. “I know. And I can’t stand the thought of not getting here fast enough. It isn’t even like I could call to let you know, since I couldn’t transform myself.”

She leaned against the wall beside him. “We need to find some other way to talk to each other…especially if one of us has to travel or gets sick.”

He closed his eyes. “Cell phones?”

Ladybug dismissed that outright. “That would only lead to trouble. Either we’d have to give each our numbers and we’d probably figure out each other’s identities--”

He chuckled. “I’m still not sure I’d complain…”

She glared at him, waiting him to grow quite and contrite. “Or we’d have to get burner phones. And I don’t really have the spare money for that.”

Chat Noir smiled back at her. “It’s no problem if you needed me to buy both, LB.”

Ladybug shook her head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not sure I like that idea either. We’d have to carry around two phones all the time. And I have at least one friend who is super observant and super curious. It would mean a lot of extra questions.”

Her earring chimes for the second time, as she started to pace.

“How about a Chat Signal?”

She snorted. “Not likely, you dork.”

His claws snuck behind his neck, propping his head up and away from the cooler building materials. “Can’t you just picture it? Glowing green eyes, hovering out into the night.”

“Ugh.” Ladybug snorted, murmuring. “That sounds like something out of one of my nightmares.”

His smirk widened, as he rolled onto his side, propping his head up. “And what, pray tell, have you been dreaming about, my Lady?”

She blushed lightly. Ever the trooper his Lady blustered her way through. “That’s for me to know and you to never find out, kitten. Anyways, that wouldn’t work because of the logistics. I can’t be both setting off a signal and heading to the scene.”

He nodded sagely, as her earrings beeped again. They didn’t have long before she had to go. “What if we commented on the Ladyblog?”

Her brows rose at that. “That...has some possibilities. Like if we picked an older thread with not too much traffic.”

“And figured out some sort of code, so anyone else wouldn’t necessarily be able to figure it out.”

“Like the girl who runs the Ladyblog.”

He nodded. “Right. We’d just have to create new IDs for it.”

“New IDs?” She smirked.

“What?” He flushed beneath her scrutiny. “She has some pretty interesting theories…”

“I know. I’ve _read_ her blog, Chaton.” Ladybug grinned, stepping up onto the ledge to dash off. “I guess I’ll create one tonight.”

“I’ll be watching for you, my Lady.”

She winked back at him, as her yo-yo string caught across the alleyway. “I’ll bet I can find you first.”


	2. The Midnight Hour

Marinette spun in her desk chair. She’d spent the better part of the last hour scouring the LadyBlog. 

She just hadn’t had any clue what name to pick for herself.

“C’mon Marinette.” Tikki sighed. “Don’t you still have a bit of homework to finish up?”

“I do,” Marinette murmured, her eyes narrowing at the screen. “But Chat Noir is definitely on here already. He’s not one to back down from a challenge.”

She smirked, fingers dragging the mouse down the comments. She just had to find him.

Tikki grumbled, settling down on the pillow beside Marinette’s bed. “He’s not the only one.”

“Hmm?” Marinette inclined her ear towards her Kwami, but couldn’t tear her eyes from the screen.

Tikki yawned pointedly. “I said, ‘Goodnight, Marinette’.”

Marinette smiled, pulling her eyes away only for a second to watch Tikki tuck herself in.

She stretched, cracking her knuckles and wiggling her fingers over the keyboard.

She’d go to bed soon, really. 

But right now she had a kitty to catch.

* * *

Adrien grinned at the screen. He’d been posting for the better part of an hour, but there had been no sign of her yet.

He’d been posting in a few threads with fairly light activity. Busy enough to not be dead, but low enough to probably be below Alya’s notice.

Flipping on his notifications, he’d puttered over to change into pajamas and work through his nighttime maintenance routine.

He was halfway through brushing his teeth when Plagg phased in through the door.

**ThatDarnChat:** Ugh. Really?

**ThatDarnChat:** You’ve got to be kidding me.

**LuckBeaLadyBug:** Don’t you mean _kitten_ me?

**ThatDarnChat:** No. Definitely not that. At all.

Adrien chuckled. He could practically envision her eyeroll.

His mind was desperate to envision in without the mask. 

**ThatDarnChat:** Your name is ridiculous.

**LuckBeaLadyBug:** I figured it was a fitting tribute to my favorite superhero.

Adrien climbed into bed, stifling a yawn as he stole a peek at his cell phone on his night stand. 

Somewhere out there, his Lady was probably cuddled into her own covers just like he was, typing out a reply.

He’d kept one open, just in case she was still up to reply.

* * *

Marinette hadn’t been able to mask her yawn, tapping her fingers over the screen.

She’d managed to get to school on time, but she had definitely stayed up way too late.

Alya arched a brow. “Late night?”

“Yep,” Marinette smiled. “Inspiration struck.”

Alya shook her head. “Girl, you can’t keep staying up that late.”

She returned a weary smile. “I had to get it down on the page, honest.”

* * *

Chat Noir bounced on his heels, springing into a leap over the alleyway below. “What if made mention of the thread, whenever Alya posts new news, or if the news beats her to it.”

Swinging across the gap and landing few feet away, Ladybug nodded. “Just a single word though.”

He grinned. “Just to point each other in the right direction.”

* * *

It was only after a whole week of late nights, that is had become clear that Alya was starting to get suspicious.

She’d waved it off with a excused she’d used a hundred times before, but Alya would only accept a new project for so long without asking to see details.

“Hmmm…” Alya frowned, her piercing hazel eyes tilting over to her from time to time during the lesson.

Marinette bit her lip. For right now, she definitely had nothing to show for it. 

She’d buried her head in her textbook and hoped Alya wouldn’t notice.

* * *

They had only gotten to the lunch break before Alya had managed to catch her off guard. 

“It’s funny,” Alya murmured, her eyes turned diligently to her phone. 

“Huh?” Marinette’s eyes were definitely wider than they needed to be. “What is?”

“I get these weekly reports on my blog,” Alya grinned, ever ready to talk shop on one of her very favorite topics. “And it said chatter went up by like 10% this week.”

Marinette tripped, barely catching herself in time. She chuckled awkwardly. “Isn’t that just...normal from time to time? People like to make comments on the pictures and the reports, right?”

Alya scrolled through the report details. “I guess, but there really haven’t been that many attacks this week.”

“I’d think that was a good thing? Doesn’t it mean you’re just getting more traffic for your site?” She hadn’t even noticed that Nino and Adrien had joined them as they walked out until Nino spoke up. 

Adrien huddled in, right next to her! She was so anxious about Alya, that she almost didn’t notice. Her fingers twisted around her purse strap. 

“Maybe,” Alya squinted down at her screen, pressing her lips into a thin line. “I think I need to check into the numbers."

* * *

“So you want to chatter more, LB?” Chat Noir slid down the baton onto lower level of the rooftops, matching her pace. They’d have to run a bit to catch up to the proper speed soon, but for now they could take their time. Patrol had been relatively quiet all week. He smirked, catching the ocean blue of her eyes in the dusk. “Not that I’m complaining…”

Ladybug sighed, her fists pressing into her hips. “I’ve heard that the Ladyblog girl is super suspicious. I’d kind of like to throw her off as best we can.”

Chat grinned “What exactly are you thinking?”

“Well, we still need to consider speed as a factor.”

“And it would need to be a code that doesn’t obviously look like a code. To not set off any warning bells.”

She pressed her fingers against her lips. Right. We could hide it in the chatter. Or use a phrase.”

Chat’s eyebrows waggled. “It could always be puns.”

Ladybug snorted. “Do you honestly think you could hold yourself back to just one pun per every few hours?”

“That’s true,” he grinned, smile half-lidded. “How else would you appreciate my genius?”

* * *

Nino squinted at the vibrating cell phone screen as it lit up on his nightstand.

**Alya:** OMG!

**Alya:** Nino! Omg!

Nino fumbled, stretching out his hand onto the bedside table, hoping that he’d eventually manage to snag his glasses. 

**Alya:** Nino! C’mon! 

He shook his head, his fingers slow and careful as he could barely make out the screen.

**Nino:** Alya wth. It's past midnight.

His phone rang not even a few second later, and he pressed the green button to answer almost as soon as the vibration registered. 

Nino sighed, thankful he had never turned the sound back on again after school.

Alya was practically bouncing on the screen. “Ohmigod! Nino!” She gushed, “It's happening!”

He pressed his hand to his face, peering back at the screen. “I’m not awake enough for this.”

She grinned. “Trust me, if this doesn’t wake you up, nothing else will!”

He sighed, pulling the phone closer to his face. “Alright, then. What’s up?”

She got really quiet for a second, smirking clear on her face, although the details was still pretty fuzzy. “Gotta say, I’m liking the no glasses look here.”

“Alya,” he warned, squinting back over at the nightstand and finally finding their glint in the darkness.

“My ship, Nino.” She cheered,. “My ship is sailing.”

Nino slid his glasses onto his nose, waiting for his brain to catch up. “Wait. Which one?”

Alya grinned.

* * *

“Marinette!” Alya half-shrieked as Marinette walked in the classroom. “You’ve got to see this. It’s adorable.”

Adrien peered over at the two. Alya was even more animated than usual, but Marinette was clearly looking about as tired as he felt. Try as he might, he just wasn't quite a night owl.

Marinette’s eyes popped, handing the phone back to Alya and dropping down into her seat. “Umm. I guess that’s cute?”

“What are you talking about, girl? This boy is totally flirting.”

Marinette frowned, her brows furrowed heavily. “You think so?”

Alya shook her head. “Guess we need a guy’s opinion then.” 

Tapping her finger on her lip, Alya made a show of scanning the room before locking eyes with him. “Adrien. You’re a guy” Alya set the phone into his hand, her grin looking oddly predatory. “Let us know what you think.”

* * *

Marinette just gaped, totally not-so-silently freaking out. She definitely squeaked. 

It was bad enough that Alya had definitely found the comment chain, where she and Chat Noir were communicating in code.

But now she was asking Adrien -- Adrien!! -- if Chat was flirting with her.

“Huh.” Adrien blanched, his voice surprisingly shaky. He handed the phone back to Alya, carefully not meeting her eyes. “Yeah...I can definitely see how you might think so.” 

Alya shot a triumphant look at Nino, pressing the phone in his direction. “Here. Second opinion.”

When Nino nodded, Marinette felt her stomach drop. She had been in literally mid-air freefalls that were less disorienting.

Her cheeks burned. 

Had Chat actually been serious, after all this time?

* * *

**MOD-LadyBlogger:** Inquiring minds want to know, _LuckBeaLadyBug._ Are you or are you not nursing a crush on _ThatDarnChat_?

**MOD-LadyBlogger:** That actually had been the Frequently Asked Question of the Week.

* * *

**LuckBeaLadyBug: __** _MOD-LadyBlogger:_ If _ThatDarnChat_ wants to know, she only needs to ask

* * *

Marinette agonized about it for hours. She hadn’t bothered to go out on patrol. 

She could barely touch a thing at dinner. 

Homework was definitely a lost cause, right now.

It seemed like all she could do was stare at her screen, her finger hovering over the unsent reply.

* * *

It had been almost four hours when her reply had finally come. It was already past midnight, but he knew without a doubt he would wait for her for as long as she needed.

_ Private Message _

******ThatDarnChat:** Okay.

Waiting didn’t mean he wouldn’t be prepared.

Plagg had been cranky when he had been jostled out of bed, but had accepted the chunk of Camembert and the inevitable journey with a surprisingly small amount of grumbling.

He pressed send on his own reply and dared to hope.

**LuckBeaLadyBug:**

If you want to know, 

you should really go

To the place where 

I fell for you.


	3. Courage (Part 1)

Whenever Alya had a secret, she was hard pressed to keep it. Especially when it was one that was so _deliciously_ good. 

Marinette would definitely freak out, without question. And after the day her friend had, she could absolutely use the pick me up. 

After all, she’d been right, all along. How was she to know it would all be this easy?

* * *

“Marinette?”

The girl paced the floor of her room, absently checking her hip against her desk more than once as she exhaled in short, panicked bursts.

Tikki flit about the room in her charge’s wake, trying to ferret out some sort of close. Was this a new problem? Or was this the problem she had been putting off for the better part of a week now. The one where her charge kept finding excuses to put off meeting her superpowered partner on the Eiffel Tower to discuss his very sweet, very private little poem. She at least owed that poor boy a response, if nothing else than to keep him from appearing on the tower for an hour or two each night. Marinette didn’t think she knew -- the silly girl only checked when she thought she had been asleep -- but she’d spent more than an hour perusing the LadyBlog, searching for updates on Chat Noir sightings.

And she kept letting the screen go idle with the tab that stayed permanently on the conversation that had started her fretting.

Tikki sighed. “What’s wrong?”

Marinette dropped the phone in front of her Kwami, pointing at it accusingly.

Blinking, Tikki gazed down at the tiny screen. “What does Alya know?”

Marinette’s hands clenched on the edge of her desk, lifting her eyes up despondently. “There’s only one thing she could know. ‘Guess who are chatting with each other on my LadyBlog?’”

Tikki frowned. “How could she know, Marinette?”

She bit her lip. “I’m not really sure. But you know that Alya pays attention like crazy. Maybe we were drawing too much attention to ourselves?”

Tikki couldn't quite hide her smirk. “The names weren’t necessarily subtle.”

“Yeah,” the girl frowned, narrowing her starkly blue eyes, “but this is Ladyblog we’re talking about here. Basically everyone had already picked a Ladybug or Chat Noir themed name. Who knows what other crazy details she might be able to pick up?”

Tikki hovered over the phone, now just as suspicious. Along with a few even more cryptic statements about how she was right all along, Alya’s message was littered with an absurd and scary number of wink and evil grin emojis. Marinette was right. Her friend was incredibly canny, but she was also quite caring and protective of her own friends. That was a fact that gave Tikki all the more reason to hope. “Hmmm...Do you think she’d going to tell him?”

“Tell him what?”

TIkki’s eyes narrowed. “Tell Chat Noir.” 

Marinette’s face paled, her voice rising an octave. “Tell him who I am?”

“Well, you need to tell him that Alya has at least figured you both out. Would you rather she told him first?” 

Marinette slumped back into her desk chair, moaning as she buried her head onto her desk. “But that means I need to meet with him.”

Tikki reminded her. “You still haven’t answered that poor boy.”

“I know.” Muffling her voice did nothing to hide her mournful tone.

“Doesn’t he deserve to hear it from you first?” Tikki landed on the desk, patting her hair.

Her head came up, chin resting on her now folded arms. “He does. I know he does. It’s just…he’s my partner. I can’t do this without him, but he’s not the one I have those kind of feelings for. It’s not fair to ask him to hold out hope that maybe someday I might change my mind...” 

Smiling, as her charge trailed off, Tikki tilted her tiny head. “Ah, Marinette. It will be alright.” 

The sad smile that crossed her lips, almost made Tikki wish she could reveal all of the secrets she knew, just to dampen her pain. 

But she had lived far too long to know better. Instead, Tikki pressed a kiss to her nose. “These things always have a way of working out.”

* * *

Plagg grumbled into his Camembert. He hated to see the kid like this.

Now, Adrien was unfocused and joyless, doing his schoolwork like the automaton his father had tried to mold him into. 

It had been days, and the bug hadn’t met him on the tower.

He’d even been snoozing in Adrien’s bag long enough to overhear the blogger girl talking about his kitten being spotted for days now. 

So what was keeping the bug? Surely Tikki was all over this. That girl was fearless in the suit, and that wasn’t something that came from nowhere. Something was holding her back -- and that didn’t bode well for his kitten.

As he’d closed up his notebook, the kid headed over to his closet. 

Plagg couldn’t stave off the sigh, before quickly stuffing the rest of the cheese into his mouth. He knew what was coming.

The same thing that had happened night after night after his hand had been forced.

“She’ll be there, Plagg. One of these days soon.” Adrien exhaled, as he tugged the extra jacket on to keep him a bit more warm beneath the transformation while up on the tower. “I just need to be patient.”

Plagg grumped silently. This kid was too good. He definitely deserved better than this.

* * *

Nino set his phone on an incline as Alya far-too-expressive face popped onto the screen, just as he had nearly every night since her late night call. 

He was still busy doing homework. Madame Mendeleiev had dropped a truly hateful physics assignment on them right at the end of class. And without Adrien’s tutoring, it would definitely take him several more hours to wrap his head around it.

He’d been tempted to ask Alya for help, but based on her expression, that seemed a bit unlikely about now.

She’d had been going crazy. It had been days -- whole days. Instead of Adrien and Marinette finally (FINALLY!) getting their acts together, they both had grown more withdrawn. 

Adrien had been even more sad than he’d sometimes grew, making both of them want to curl him into the biggest hug they could both muster. 

But Marinette was distracted. She’d even spoken full, normal sentences to Adrien. It was almost like -- out of the blue -- she didn’t have the biggest, most ridiculous crush on him. Before Marinette’s sudden and sweeping crush on the surprisingly sweet supermodel, Alya had never seen someone have a crush like that in her whole life. To have it disappear in an instant? Especially when the pair of them should be growing closer together instead of farther apart.

“I might have made a mistake…” A rueful smile marred Alya’s features. 

“Alya…” Nino frowned, his dark brows furrowing. “What did you do?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Courage section will be 3 ( or more...probably or more) shorter segments. I am actively writing this now. :)
> 
> I cannot say enough how much I appreciate your feedback. You are all the best!


	4. Courage (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always to EnberLight for making sure I don't make any massive mistakes.

“I might have hinted to Marinette that I knew something was up.” 

“Alya,” Nino tore off his hat and scowled. “I thought we agreed we would leave it be.”

Her face fell. “I know you’ve been worried just as much as I have. They’re both miserable, and it driving both of us crazy watching them be miserable. And I wouldn’t have moved except that it occurred to me that Marinette actually gets super focused once she’s stopped panicking and actually dealing with a problem.”

“So you’re forcing her hand?”

“Basically?” Alya crossed her arms over her chest, shifting back and forth on her feet nervously. “I mean, I was pretty vague, so she should be coming at me with questions...when she calms down enough.”

“You’re sure she will?” He slanted a glance at her.

“Reasonably so. Besides, if she doesn’t act quickly, I can always waggle my eyebrows at her during class until she caves.”

Nino pressed his glasses back on his nose, snagging the cell phone. “Well, if we’re doing this, then I’m not holding back.”

* * *

Chat Noir sprang from post to post every ten minutes. It was a way to bide the time as he hoped she would show up. He ran an arm of his usual patrol on the way there and another arm on his way home with the hope that his partner would be here to run the back half of the patrol with him.

He’d already been here for the better part of an hour, but he wasn’t quite ready to give up hope for the night.

The past week had been unbearably lonely. His father was on a tour in China and had run into some sort of snag, delaying his return by another few days at least.

It wouldn’t be so bad except that Hawkmoth had also been quiet. _Disconcertingly_ so.

And he didn’t even have his Lady to look forward to.

Claws digging into the beam as he leaned out above the curve, testing his own muscles as he dodged the cameras on the tower itself. 

Not for the first time this evening, he was regretting his tendency towards rash action. 

Just because he had been ready, willing, and able, that didn’t mean his Lady was.

And even if her answer was no -- even if it would always be no -- not having Ladybug at his side, even if only as a friend? Well, that was something he’d never wanted. 

He didn’t want her to be uncomfortable.

But he was already reaching his wit’s end. He didn’t have the first clue how he could fix this. And it wasn’t exactly like he could talk to anyone about being a superhero in love with his superhero partner. Secret identities were secret for a reason.

And she’d always held so much more firmly to that rule than he had.

He sighed, gripping the rail a bit tighter as he sat down where the frame met one of the sheltered upper lattice girders.

At least he did have someone to talk to, even if he was notoriously unhelpful. 

As his transformation dropped, Adrien let one of his legs over the side as the other locked him into the most secure position on the beam. He drew up the overlarge black hoodie to mask his features from any possible new cameras he had yet to ferret out.

Plagg had barely spiralled out of the ring, before he veered straight down into the pocket where he had stashed his Camembert.

Half-lidded, glowing green eyes gleamed in the darkness, as Plagg held the foul smelling cheese up like a trophy. “Now, this is the life kid: an excellent meal and a view of the city.”

Adrien frowned, dropping his chin against the knee bracing him into place. “It could do with some more company…”

“Pfft.” Plagg rolled his eyes. “What am I, chopped liver?”

“You know what I mean, Plagg.”

“I do.” The kwami savored each and every tiny morsel with noisy gusto. “But I’ve also told you that girls were nothing but trouble. Do you really think that you’re the first holder of the Cat Miraculous to fall for one of Tikki’s bugs?”

“Tikki?” As one of Adrien’s blonde brows rose, his shoulders straightened. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean that those bugs are always skittish for some reason. Nearly every single one has been stubborn and overly cautious to a fault.” He scoffed, but the tiniest pull of his lips upward belied his own fondness in memories. “It always gives me no end of indigestion.” 

Adrien couldn’t help but smile, as he slanted his eyes towards his Kwami. “I’m pretty sure that’s the Camembert.”

“Lies.”

Adrien snorted at that.

“You just pushed things, too early, kid.” Plagg murmured, before biting into another morsel, eyes turned distant. “It doesn’t necessarily mean things will come to a bad end.”

Adrien nodded.

“But because your Ladybug is one of the most stubborn bugs that I can recall, it does means this isn’t likely to end anytime soon.”

Sighing, his chin dropped back down onto his knee as he looked out into the glowing city lights 

* * *

She was late. 

Ladybug winced, as she leaned into the swing to build up her forward momentum for the final, arcing swing that would propel her up onto the tower itself. 

She had stalled too long, mired in indecision and homework. 

Her eyes locked on the Tower beams above, as she nibbled at her lip. She should have listened to Tikki.

She should have left earlier. Her jaw set as she scanned the nearby rooftops for the slightest hint of a familiar figure in black, vaulting and scrambling across the rooftops.

All too no avail.

_She was far too late._

Ladybug still wasn’t sure what to say to Chat. He was a friend, a partner. There was no one else she’d trust nearly as well to have at her back. There was no one else so willing to selflessly place himself into harm’s way just to keep her safe.

Had she not been so thunderstruck by Adrien’s honesty and the small, sweet kindness that had literally left her speechless that rainy, fall day, her ever-growing fondness for Chat Noir might slowly, steadily have blossomed into something more.

This just wasn’t fair to him. He was far too good, too kind to have anything less than her whole heart. And that was something that she just couldn’t give, not with her own heart so divided and uncertain. 

Her arms wrapped around herself as the chilly wind swept through the beams. 

She just missed having him at her side, ridiculous puns and all.

Drawing a heavy sigh, she tugged the yo-yo from it’s holster, opening the screen to pull up the Ladyblog.

Chat Noir hadn’t even checked in since that last message. 

Not a single word. He didn’t press, didn’t beg for her attention. He had just been waiting for her to make contact.

Her shoulders slumped as she drew back against the iron beam to check the LadyBlog updates.

Chat had been here. A half blurred photograph of him leaping from the tower, his face half obscured but the rapid motion of his free fall. 

A gloved finger traced the edge of the image, before she squeezed her eyes shut shoulders pulled low.

The photo had been posted more than an hour ago.

_She really had been too late._

Despondent, she turned back home.

* * *

Still half damp, Adrien padded out of the bathroom. The warm shower had drawn the ache from all of his muscles -- save for one. 

He’d still been toweling down his hair, finished with the rest of his nightly regimen, to wrap up the homework that he’d put aside. It was only then that he’d noticed the flashing blue light on his phone.

His fingers flew across the screen to dial Nino as he’d frowned at the vague message. 

Nino must have had his phone in hand, as he’d answered on the first ring. “Hey, man.”

“Hey.” Adrien replied, dropping the towel into the hamper and heading back over to his desk. “What do you mean ‘Alya knows…’?”

Nino’s voice sped up a little bit. “It mean she knows who you’ve been secretly talking to on her Ladyblog forums.”

Adrien blanched. “Huh?”

“I dunno. She was going on and on and IP addresses and all.”

Adrien blinked, gaping at the phone as he’d tugged it from his ear. He and Ladybug had considered a lot, very carefully before they’d switched to this mode of civilian communication.

Clearly it hadn’t been enough.

“Look, dude.” Nino sighed heavily . “You can’t be talking to Marinette like that. Not unless you mean it.”

The phone fell out of his hands as Nino had continued on his rant. 

_Marinette?_

Adrien’s eyes widened, as he’d shuffled back a step, his legs knocking back out from under him as he’d run into the arms of the couch.

_Ladybug was Marinette?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Courage section will be at least three chapters. Much of it is already outlined and I've really been digging in with some extra help from Fairia and Emberlight. You're both the best!
> 
> I so, so appreciate all of you who have stuck with me through all of these. We're nearing the end of LadyNoir July! (Finally). I never would have gotten to this point without your help! *hugs*


	5. Courage (Part 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to EmberLight for her patience with wrangling my rogue contractions.

“--And I understand, you know? I know like half the class has had a crush on her. And that’s just the people who are vocal or obvious about it.” Nino hedged, clearing his throat meaningfully. “But Alya is super protective. Which means if you’re just messing around with Marinette…”

“That’s...that’s not it.” Adrien stammered, desperately trying to find his voice. It had very, very suddenly gotten hard to breathe.

Nino huffed. “What is it then?”

Adrien breathed, steadying himself. “I...uh...wasn’t exactly aware who was behind the screen name.”

“Wait. What?”

“Well,” Heat suffused his face, scalding him to the tips of his ears as he dropped his head back onto the couch. How were you supposed to talk about the love of your life...who happened to be a friend, except you didn’t know it until just a minute ago. “I guess I had been talking to that user on the blog comment section for a while, but I didn’t know who they were. They just seemed really nice. And they could keep up with my humor.”

Nino cackled. “Seriously, dude? Your puns are the worst.”

“And she certainly let me know it, too.” Adrien grinned through the self-deprecation, mussing his bangs as he set a cooler hand to pull the heat away from his cheeks. He was lucky he had gotten so good at lying convincingly.

At least, he hoped it was convincing. 

* * *

Alya was scouring the Ladyblog Administrator page. It was a busy night, especially for one where there wasn’t an Akuma spotted. But after so many nights, both Ladybug and Chat Noir were both spotted out on patrol.

It was her first hope that things might be returning to normal.

If she was really lucky, all might be headed back to normal with Marinette and -- she hoped -- Adrien, too.

Her eyes lit up, as the familiar ringtone chimed.

Alya has been convinced it wouldn’t take nearly this long, but with Marinette acting not entirely herself lately, perhaps she shouldn’t have been so surprised.

M: _Who is?_

Alya smirked, unlocking her phone to call. She’d had quite a lot more time to think about just how to respond.

Quite a bit more than she’d expected, in fact. She hopped up onto the bed, tugging the covers over her feet, mulling the exact words before she hit the green phone icon.

“H-hey, Alya.”

“Hey!” Alya smiled as she could hear the note of nervousness in her voice. “Are you alright?”

“Just tired,” Marinette confided, “this Chemistry homework had my head spinning.”

“Ah. I hear that loud and clear.” Alya conceded. “Madame Mendeleiev really needs to remember she’s not the only teacher we have giving out homework.”

Marinette hummed her agreement over the line.

“Anyways.” She drawled, hugging her knees closer to her chest. “I’ve been getting messages for days. About people who suspect LB and CN are on the comment section.”

“Is that normal?”

Alya chuckled. “Well, it wouldn’t be the first time. I mean, everyone kind of hopes that they can interact more with their favorite heroes. But this time, there is a little more merit.”

She worried her lip, leaving a bit of time for Marinette to process this. 

Eventually, the response broke through the painful silence, just like she knew it would. Between her friend’s panic and curiosity, the curiosity would always win out. 

And with good reason.

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Alya confirmed. Her toes wiggled beneath the covers, slowly warming against the draft. This was the tricky part. “It’s weird, actually. They were leaving location names. The same places where Ladybug and Chat Noir would show up not long after.”

“But, Alya,” she murmured, her voice surprisingly steady, “isn’t that the exact information that is on your blog anyways.”

Alya grinned. Never let it be said that her BFF was anything but clever. “Sure. But they beat me to it more than once.”

A slow exhale came over the line, followed by a heavy silence. “What do you think you’re going to do?”

“Honestly?” Alya wondered. “I’m not sure. I don’t want to out them publicly, but I had to tell someone. Someone who would keep the secret.”

* * *

Marinette was barely breathing. Her grip on her cellphone was tenuous at best, as Alya’s words had just sent a cold chill down her spine.

She definitely knew.

She had to.

Desperate, Marinette regulated her breathing, hoping she was not giving away the unbearable wave of panic.

“And I know you’ve never been keen on me unmasking them. So who better to share the secret with than my best friend, who would help keep me honest.”

Marinette slumped down onto the bed, dropping her phone down beside her. Thank goodness Alya hadn’t pressed for a video call. “So you didn’t look?”

“No.” 

The giant weight dropped off of her chest, letting her breathe more freely. Alya was still disconcertingly quiet.

There was still hope that her secrets were still safely hidden.

The loud thump overhead restarted her heart, setting her thready pulse racing.

Wide eyed, she pressed the phone back up to her ear. “Alya, I think I’m going to have to call you back.”

* * *

From the moment he had landed on her roof, Chat Noir felt like every bit of his confidence had flown off on the wings of a butterfly. 

Mentally, he was trying to talk himself into it. He had to let her know. There was nothing that Ladybug valued more than the truth, after all.

And considering the truth he knew now, it explained a lot about his pigtailed classmate as well.

The low light was on, meaning Marinette was still awake.

If he was still blissfully ignorant, he’d probably be close to sleeping right now. He’d always been more of an early bird -- not that he’d been given much choice in the matter.

But he wouldn’t sleep tonight. Not without telling her what he’d learned.

* * *

Marinette felt the inclination to panic. The light clipping of metal against the roof above left little room for doubt of who was pacing above.

An Akuma wouldn’t hesitate. Or knock.

Which left one very obvious, very pun-filled possibility.

One she wasn’t entirely sure she was ready to handle. She was happy to see him, especially since she had already missed him.

But it begged the question: why was he here?

“Marinette,” Tikki whispered, hovering beside her ear, ready to dodge out of sight should that skylight door pop open. “You don’t have to tell him right now. Not if you aren’t ready, you know.”

Marinette bit her lip. “But I should tell him.”

Tikki patted her cheek. “And you will. When the time is right.”

Marinette nuzzled her kwami for strength. Inhaling sharply, she scurried up the ladder to peer out into the darkness.

* * *

Chat Noir heard the slow scrape of the hatch before anything else, his ears veering back in her direction. The rest of his body was quick to follow.

His claws anxiously grazed the nape of his neck the moment his gaze met her too-blue eyes bathed in the glow from her room below.

He’d been sure he was ready. So sure, really.

Until the moment her eyes widened, his name half-muffled by her breathless gasp. “Chat Noir?”

He bounced on the balls of his feet, ready to move, suddenly and woefully unprepared.

Marinette tilted her head, blinking as she opened the door wider, hauling herself up with far more grace than he had seen from her at school.

The same grace, he’d known instinctively from standing at his Lady’s side, all fluid motion and the hypnotic bounce of her midnight dark pigtails. His eyes tracked each and every movement, the turn of her head, the practiced, efficient close of the rooftop door behind her.

If he’d had any doubts remaining, her sure movements quieted them utterly. 

“Why are you out so late?”

“Hmm?” Chat blinked. Somehow he’d been so focused on her movements that he’d almost missed the words. His lips parted, slipping into a slow, unsteady smile as he took in the short distance between them. “Patrol ran a bit late.”

“Really?” Marinette’s nose scrunched cutely, her eyebrows furrowing. “I could have sworn… I mean, the Ladyblog said you were out much earlier this evening.”

He leaned forward, daring her to see the blush that burned him right to the tip of his ears. Were it not for the dark, even with the mask in place, he might not have been so daring himself. “Have you been keeping track of me, Princess?”

Marinette snorted, pushing him back by the bell. But her smile was a little too wide, her cheeks a little too pink. “Hardly. My best friend runs the Ladyblog. It’s rare that a night goes by that I don’t get updates from her, whether I ask or not.”

“Mmm.” He conceded with a smile, watching the hint of mischief dancing in her eyes. He couldn’t help but hope she was protesting too much. 

Her eyes were no longer locked with his, instead focused on the bell at his neck and then the rooftops across the Seine where they both met for Patrol.

She seemed content enough just standing at his side.

And he would be content enough to let her, were it not for the inconvenient truth of the matter. She _needed_ to know that he knew. His claws gripped the baton behind his back, steadying him.

* * *

Marinette smirked. If she’d known that all she needed to do was wait a few hours, she probably could have saved herself a whole lot of stress.

Her eyes kept darting to the bell at his neck. Chat kept making the most adorable smiles whenever she tapped it as Ladybug, and she’d absently wondered if he might do the same. 

And she hadn’t been disappointed.

Her hands gripped the top rail as she still struggled to figure all of this mess out. Chat Noir was her best friend after all. He deserved to know he was loved, even if she couldn’t return the sort of love he might be hoping for.

Marinette had long suspected Chat had feelings for her alter ego, but could never be entirely sure. And since he rarely was so serious, and their interactions were so rare outside of sighting an Akuma, there was little opportunity to try to follow that conversation to its natural conclusion.

But this? Just standing together on the rooftop in companionable silence. Well, that was nice. Even without the banter that had so typically marked their relationship.

Marinette worried her lip. Not that Chat knew that kind of banter was actually the usual for them both.

It was the same kind of warmth her heart had marked with her family, in interacting with Alya. He was as close to her as family. 

When he was usually around -- at least before he’d revealed his feelings in a way that left her no room for doubt -- the only butterflies she’d battled were in the air, dark and menacing, not like the light flurry waging war in her stomach.

But for the past few nights, she’d spent far too much time puzzling how to reign them in. Where no amount of yo-yo slinging would quiet the beat of their wings.

_Now, though._ Marinette sighed, pressing a hand over her own stomach to quiet the soft flutter that arose purely at the thought. 

The force of it paled in comparison to the warmth from standing at his side. The feeling was altogether too much like what she’d felt that fateful day in the rain.

While she had known him too long and too well to be left stuttering as she had with Adrien, she still had no idea what more to say without feeling fickle.

Her eyes slid shut. When she headed off to bed tonight, she and Tikki no doubt would be up for some time, working their way through the maze of feelings. They just couldn’t count on Hawkmoth’s silence.

She needed to be sure of her own heart.

Chat Noir deserved an answer.

Or two.

* * *

Chat had always known Ladybug to be expressive, but knowing Marinette was behind the mask made the picture more seamless. 

For months now, he had seen her day after day at school. As Adrien, he known her to be a force of nature -- active and positive, caring and kind. She always appeared to be in constant motion. Even in those moments where she’d been more than a little shy around him, now that he thought about it. 

Marinette was not perfect by any means, but no one ever was. 

He certainly was not -- even as much as his father had pressed him to pretend otherwise.

But she’d had everyone’s best interests at heart, even when they hadn’t returned the sentiment. 

He had already decided so long ago he’d loved the girl behind the mask, cataloguing her every feature right alongside every failing. She wouldn’t have seemed so real without all of it.

So tangible. Ladybug was the wind, and would so often slip between his claws.

But Marinette? He hadn't even noticed his own claws reaching towards her until he’d nearly reached her shoulder.

His eyes narrowed, dropping his grip back to the rails. At least, she hadn’t seemed to notice. “Princess?” 

“Oh?” She breathed, her eyes darting up to his. Marinette stepped away from the rail, turning her full attention towards him. “Sorry! I must have zoned out. I haven’t been sleeping well.”

“Me either, to be honest.”

“Oh?” Her brows furrowed, lips pressing into a thin line. “And you’ve been out a few times today, too.”

He nodded.

She took two steps away, before cocking her head back toward him. “Can you stay here? Just for a few minutes at least?”

Chat blinked, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. “I suppose.” 

“I can’t make sure you sleep, of course. But I can offer you something to eat at least.”

“You’re worried, Princess?”

She looked half offended, her fists falling naturally into the curve of her hips in the pose he knew so well. “Of course, I am. Who is looking out for the hero of Paris if he won’t look out for himself?”

Chat Noir’s fingers trembled beneath his grip on the rail, betraying his unsteady feet. He could only hope that she wouldn’t notice the blush that heated his cheeks. “I’ll be here.”

“Good.” Marinette flashed a wide smile, winking at him before she dropped back down the ladder and into her dimly light room below.

Once she was out of sight, Chat Noir allowed himself to drop to his knees, his gloved claw covering his gaping mouth.

There was only so much his heart could take now that her mask had fallen.

His eyes searched the skies, blowing out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

Marinette was so clearly Ladybug. 

But as confident and in control as she was up on her own roof, he couldn’t help but think about how she was so different towards him at school. 

His claws fell into his lap. In all this time, they had only managed a few shorter, awkward conversations with her as Adrien.

It seemed even as kind as she was, she couldn’t entirely overlook that first mis-step. 

Resigned, Chat Noir slumped against the rails. He really was unlucky after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to those of you following along with this madness! Your comments and support have made writing a true joy. *hugs* 
> 
> I felt this story again after the ML S2 just dropped for reasons that are probably clear if you've also watched. :D

**Author's Note:**

> You can follow me on [Tumblr](http://overworkedunderwhelmed.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Feedback of all forms and re-blogs of the [Tumblr post](http://overworkedunderwhelmed.tumblr.com/post/163156624034/ladynoir-july-day-18-midnight-hour) are greatly appreciated! [Note that the link is for final current chapter, so please read all chapters first if you'd like to avoid spoilers.]
> 
> As I mentioned in the beginning, I am still actively working on this one and I'm already about 1000 words into the next chapter, but I'm vacillating on my next moves. Suggestions might very well inspire me to get this done sooner. ;)
> 
> Also worth noting, as the series indicates, I am awful at deciding how long things might take. The Courage prompt might well be divided into more than one smaller chapters. This is just fair warning. :D


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